Angelina Cruz releases debut EP

HAVING ALREADY found success on Spotify, singer Angelina Cruz has released her self-titled debut album under Universal Records.

Her EP, the 16-year-old singer’s debut single “Sumilong Ka,” recently reached over 1.6 million streams on Spotify, while her rendition of Orange and Lemon’s original song “Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby)” has reached 2.3 million streams.

Angelina Cruz — her full name is Angelina Isabele Cruz Montano — is the eldest daughter of TV actress Sunshine Cruz and actor Cesar Montano.

It was only two years ago that Angelina Cruz realized that she could sing.

“When I was a kid, I never really saw myself as a singer. It’s usually my younger sisters who love to sing. Just recently — two years ago — I bought a ukulele and I learned how to play. Eventually, I did [song] covers, and I uploaded some of them online and I got good comments. So that’s when I realized that I should hone my talents more,” Ms. Cruz told BusinessWorld at a press conference for the album launch at Café Dominique in Quezon City last week.

The singer’s mother contacted Universal Records after finding out that her eldest daughter started singing.

The self-titled album, Angelina, includes original tracks such as “Kaya Mo Ba?,” the singer’s Tagalog-English single; “Paraiso” featuring Iñigo Pascual; and the previously released “The Boy I Used to Know” and “The Best of You.”

The singer said that the songs on the album are love songs she “can related to.”

Ms. Cruz said that she plans to venture into exploring other music genres and writing her own songs in the future. “I really want to make a name for myself and set my own path — write new songs, write my own songs, and maybe explore genres of music,” she told the press.